Do I bathe my child enough?

[Mel2023]

How often do you bath your toddlers?

My DS is 2.5. We’ve always had a routine where we’ve bathed him twice during the week (usually Tues and Thurs) and once on the weekend (usually a Sunday). This is a full body and hair wash. That being said, in the summer it was a lot more often due to wearing sun cream most days, and if he comes home from nursery particularly mucky or has a messy tea time we’ll bath him regardless.

I’ve recently noticed he’s developed cradle cap again (he had it when he was a baby) and it’s quite bad. Everything I’ve looked into online says it’s not unusual for toddlers his age to have it, especially if they had it as a baby. I mentioned it to a family member and she’s said it’s because we don’t bath him enough and she’s always thought this? Do we not? AIBU to think that a bath 3 times a week plus extra if needed is ok?

Mine had a bath every night. It was part of their getting ready for bed routine and they loved it. It was more about playing and relaxing in warm water than being scrubbed clean.

Bathing and hair-washing are different things. I would bathe children quickly every day but it’s about their bodies, not their hair, and if they have a good wash a bath is not always necessary. Hair-washing once or twice or three times a week, or even every day, has absolutely nothing to do with getting or not getting cradle cap.

Who's got time to bath multiple kids every night. Fair enough if you have 1 or 2. I have 4. They bath a few times a week. Then when they are able to do it themselves they judge how often they need a shower. When they get to the age where their sweat smells, daily will be encouraged.

It's not good for young children's skin to be bathed daily. Some of mine had severe eczema and a daily bath made it worse.

No, you’re right.

I was told by a nanny with 30 years experience never to rinse hair with the bath water but to always use fresh water. She said none of the babies she ever looked after got cradle cap.

I followed this religiously when DD was a baby and she never got cradle cap. When she was about 18 months I started to get lazy and just rinsed her head with the bath water. Lo and behold she got cradle cap!! So I swear by it now. And if the logic is true then bathing them more will only make cradle cap worse! So it has nothing to do with cleanliness.

Next time she is in the bath and her head is wet, put on a pair of exfoliating gloves and give her a nice head massage to free up the cradle cap! Then always rinse with fresh water, or I have one of those shower hoses that attached to the bath taps.

Same. I bathed mine nightly and then as soon as they could walk I would put them in the shower. They’re 10 and 6 and still shower every night

This is how we did it, and for exactly the same reasons, it was a nice end to the day for them

My toddlers have a bath every night except Friday where it’s a flannel wash. My primary school aged children shower every day.

the littles always end up in such a mess after dinner still that’s it’s just more efficient for a quick bath rather flannel washing.

DS has always been really active and outdoorsy , his nursery at that age had forest school every afternoon, he was always grubby enough to need a bath or shower every day, he'd also get dinner all around his face at that age especially things like spaghetti. We still do daily now, I shower everyday, so why wouldn't I shower him daily?

I always bathed mine every night, now they are older they both shower and wash hair daily. I honestly thought this is what everyone did.

I’ve got 4 too. The youngest 2 bath together every night. The oldest 2 (6 & 8) shower themselves. I’ll oversee the 6 year old (girl) and wash her hair for her but the 8 year old (boy) is totally independent

I bathe mine every day.

Honestly the only kids I’ve known to have bad cradle cap as babies and toddlers haven’t had their hair washed regularly, and the parents make no effort to remove it.
As babies you need to regularly oil the scalp and scrape it off while it’s soft, with a soft brush, face cloth etc. I hear so many people who put a lick of coconut oil on and then are like oh well it didn’t do anything.
Once cradle cap is gone you need regular hair washing to keep the scalp clean and don’t allow it to build up.

I don’t think cradle cap is hygiene related - I was told it’s a skin issue like eczema etc and it’s not “dirty”. My son gets a bath every night and he still gets it. I will say that two baths a week isn’t a lot though but maybe I’m being unfair as we just always did bath each night as part of our bedtime routine…

Generally the idea is to clean the bum after they do a poo 😂 my son has eczema and being bathed daily would be terrible for his skin.

For cradle cap I soaked my sons’ hair in coconut oil for about an hour, then gently brushed through it with a nit comb. Soooo many flakes came up, it was really satisfying!

Every other night. As PPs have said, daily isn't great for their delicate skin. They shouldn't be covered in poo if you clean them properly after nappy changes. And I really don't think a child soaking excrement is good.

Of topic, but just in case you're still struggling with the eczema - the advice has changed now, and you're advised to bathe most kids with eczema daily. I forgot to ask why, but my pet theory is that it unclogs the skin from all the creams and allows it to breathe, and then it's clear to get full benefit from the next layer. Obviously use an emollient not soap.

Won't work for everyone, but just in case it helps you!

Nah I’m with Scallop, fine to wash every day, but not washing every day does not make them “dirty”. Adults are much grubbier than kids, more sweat and oil

I think its fine but I'm not one of those scared germophobe types.

I think leaving some of their natural oils for a bit does them good. Mine suffer from dry skin and it gets worse with more washing. Given that study releasedd last week that showed kids products containing tons of carcinogens I think the less bubble bath and lotion the better!

Kids don't sweat like adults. We probably do 3-6 times a week depending. Always do nursery days for the toddler and when they swim they have a proper shower. We do more in the summer to wash off the suncream.

Mine had cradle cap when tiny and my little girl had a flare up at 2ish. I've always cleared it up with coconut oil. It's not related to dirt/ washing at all.

Yes I do this with conditioner occasionally! So satisfying

How often do you shower/bathe?

Well you thought wrong. There is not a single dermatologist who would recommend bathing children daily.

Unless OP's toddler has been through puberty that's irrelevant.

Yes nit comb is great for cradle cap after softening it up with oil.
I used to bathe mine most nights as was a nice way to settle them down.

Tiny newborns don't need a bath everyday imo, can have a good flannel wash around the nappy area.

But active mucky toddlers absolutely should have a proper clean everyday in the bath or shower!